St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-11
A PRICELESS MANSION.
The Sultan's Magnificent Palace
on the Bosphorus.

Our American. minister, kindly. OBJ
tanned a ''tirmanH from the government
to allowa party of us Q to- visit. thepaL
aces, treasury, etc. He also gave us
the use of his Steam-lalmch and sent his
canvass and an aide-de-camp of the sui
tan's to guide and guard us properly.
writes a correspondent of the San
Francisco Chronicle from Constantine
pie. We met in the early morning in
front Of the largest palace on the Bos-
phorus, ''Dolma Batche,' and. entered
by the water-gate. 1t opens into a
pretty garden, not very. large, and con-
SiSting mostly of Shrubbery. /, & = ,y:,,
After little VeStibule we fo3rntt our
selves at once in a large reception-roonfa
The highly-polished floors 0f. different
woods were as smooth as glass and strips
of Turkish carpet were laid for US to
walk upon. Many apparently strong
marble pillars supported the lofty cell
ing. Marble, we thought, but on exam
nation we found them to be only the
designs in the same material. Each
corner was ornamented with candle
sticks of about thirty candles, with cut.
glass retlectorS that showed forth bril-
liant lights. All the rest of the room
seemed grand in it's emptiness. =
Off it are small reception rooms, whose
walls are hung with fine paintings and
tapestry work. One wall is entirely
taken up with picture of a pilgrimage
to Mecca. Each detail is wonderfully
brought out, and we can almost imagine
ourselves in the country there repre-
Sented, riding one of those large camelS
Or in the train of worshipers following
some notable's carriage. Beautiful
tables of inlaid work and mosaics are in
these rooms; indeed. everything is the
perfection of elegance. From the large
central hall lead those renowned stairs
whose baluStradeS are of glass and
whose flights wind around each other in
so graceful a manner. Looking up, as
we near the top, we see a room brilliant
again with .refiectorS of numerous
candles. This is very similar to the
large room below it. but off from it the
rooms are larger and furnished as par
l0rS or drawingfoOmS. -.
We were surprised to find no bed
rooms, but it seems that the Turks be-
lieve i'll getting along without all that
furniture. and so they simply have their
bedding brought in and placed upon
divan for the night. The more inteIli-
gent people are getting now to use bed
steads, and probably when the sultan
occupied this palace they were used;
but now, since it is shown to the public,
the effect is supposed to better without
them.
OF course these rooms appear much
alike, yet all differ in the richness of
the silken hangings, heavy curtains and
handsomely upholstered chairs and
diyans. Many of the fireplaces are of
the most exquisite marble, and some are
even of glass. Yet more wonderful in
workmanship are the mosaics, flowers
matched so perfectly as to look like
natural ones, and figures so plain as to
appear like fine paintings We passed
through long corridor containing over
100 oil paintings, most or them repre-
senting battle scenes, landscapes and
animals, and some of them are quite
fine.
This long hall leads to the harem, but
that we were not permitted to enter.and
were guided up short flight of stairs
into the Sultan'S room. This is richer
than any other in its furnishings, and
opens into what was once a cOnServa-
tory overlooking the garden. 1t is now
entirely uncared for and looks deSolate
enough. From here was visited the
throne-ro0m, that must. be the entire
width of the building and the whole
height as well. The dome seemed so
far, far up; and how the figures i'll the
paintings stood out as they looked down
upon us. From every part of that large
room it looked the same.
At one end is a space for the throne,
that is placed there only when needed.
The room is seldom used, except on
certain fete days or to receive some
noted visitor. What wealth is displayed
in the heavy silver candleSticks that
stand fully ten feet from the floor!
They are solid, and their peculiar tiHge
shows the purity of the material.
Not far from this room is the gem of
all bath rooms, for it's of pure Egyptian
alabaster The walls and ceiling are
beautifully carved. while the floor, and
basins seem the purer fer their Sim
plicity. As the sun shone through the
skylight and showed the pink transpar-
ency of the stone, it seemed like a
OrpriouS Stone indeed